Cuba: At La Copa Marcelo Salado in Havana, in a lone race against the clock, Cuban Hanser Garcia clocked 48.89 in the 100m freestyle, the 6th best in the world so far this year. "I'm very happy," he told the media. "To get below 49 is really good. After this meet I have a six-week cycle of preparation and I have high hopes for the world titles in Barcelona. My best result was in Shanghai [2011 worlds], when I finished 18th, but now I'm a bit more ambitious - I'm going to get on the podium."

Italy: At Italian junior short-course nationals in Riccione, Giuseppe Guttuso took the 100m free in 48.66, the 17-year-old final going to Oriente in 49.33, while the 1500m free went to Francesco Bianchi in 15:09.19 and the 17yr race to Andrea Fabbroni in 15:09.91. If they are swift for their age, consider 16-year-old Nicolangelo Di Fabio, on 49.44, and 15-year-old Allesandro Bori, on 49.96 in the 100m free, and 15-year-old Andrea Manzi, on 15:14.49 in the 1500m. There were also 15 12-year-old boys inside 17mins over 1500m. At 14, Lorenzo Glessi, is on 51.15 and 2:00.48 at the helm of the 100 and 200m free. Riccardo Maestri, 18, took the 400m free in 3:50.34, and Andrea Bolognesi cracked out 'fly and breaststroke dashes of 27.45 and 23.60.

Tunisia: Olympic 1500m free (2008) and marathon (2012) champion Oussama Mellouli will tackle both his big success distances at world championships in Barcelona this summer. Not long back in full training after a long post-Games break, in 2012, his 2013 campaign is part of a steady build up to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Spain: the Spanish federation has confirmed its team for the World Championships, at home in Barcelona, in July and August. The selection follows the Spanish Open in Pontevedra last week:

USA: A former College swim coach who vanished after police accused him of secretly videotaping young girls undressing in a locker room back in 1998 has joined the USA Swimming list of the permanently banned. Lorrie John Trites, who is on the FBI's most-wanted list, was officially suspended on February 25. He used a camera hidden behind towels in a locker room; a tape contained scenes of women and girls as young as 14 in "various stages of undress", according to police. He was a college coach and head of Trident Aquatic Club. He fled after being fired by the college, left his keys in his vehicle in front of a car dealership near a local train station, say local media reports. Now 51, Trites was last seen in Philadelphia in January 1998 after he arrived at JFK Airport in New York on a flight from Trinidad. If convicted, Trites, 6ft 7in (201) would face up to 7 years in prison for each of the illegal wiretapping charges and a $15,000 fine. Tampering with evidence carries up to a 2-year sentence and a maximum fine of $5,000. The FBI has warned the public that it considers Trites armed and dangerous. He might be using the aliases "Loren," "John Morgan" and "Buddy," according to the FBI. In 2005, the FBI alerted USA Swimming that Trites might have resurfaced as a coach or tried to seek employment in the sport. The federation alerted its membership of coaches.